The Curse at Rose Hill

by Camille Oster

  Astounded at the statement, Emmeline's eyebrows rose. A nonsensical statement. Was this flirtation? It didn't look like it. His expression was serious.

  Twisting, he placed his drained glass down again. "I rode over to Rose Hill because I felt compelled to. I wanted to see you, actually—just in the distance."

  "Why?"

  "Because you appeared wet and bedraggled at my door, and angry as a bee. While you left bodily, you never really left."

  Emmeline frowned. She was out of her depth with such declarations. Was this flirtation? Was he toying with her?

  "You do not trust my ardor?" he said with a smile.

  "I doubt it won't come as a surprise, but I have little experience with such games."

  "If it is a game, it is one you are playing on me. Or are you enjoying Percy's clumsy flirtation?"

  Emmeline's mouth tightened into a line with the accusation. Perhaps it was time she returned to the ballroom.

  "Forgive my intolerance. A man in my position dreads the appearance of a rival, even a clumsy and uncouth one as Percy Thornton." The dismissal was evident in his voice. Cresswell didn't have the highest opinion of Percy. That much was apparent. Could it be that he really had been at the mill that day? Concern at a rival for her affection wasn't perhaps something she was ready to believe, but more gainful intents could be behind all this. A lucrative rival was more believable. Was all this a way of gaining Rose Hill? A neighbor taking on more land was much more believable. Was he seeking a companion to help him in his endeavors, someone in the very house? She couldn't think of a way of asking. "Do you treat him with as much suspicion?" he asked.

  "Who?"

  "Percy."

  "Yes," she admitted.

  He smiled.

  Chapter 23

  "You have awakened something in me, something I'd let go of long ago." He moved closer. "The possibility of not being alone. It was something I had quite given up on, until one day, you appeared. You were simply there."

  Emmeline bit her lips together and frowned, because she understood everything he was saying, that aching loneliness, the feeling of not belonging with anyone. His words found their mark.

  "But I saw you before," he said, continuing, "that night at Mrs. Moorhouse’s. I didn't really notice you then, didn't understand the impact you would have on me, on my mind, that your ghost would be there every moment of the day. I didn't know."

  Emmeline remembered the first time she had seen him, in the cards room. She had watched him, had been so very curious. So reserved and remote. At that time, she had never expected they would end up talking like this. Earnestly, he took her hands in his. How had they gotten here?

  No, she had to stop this. This was too much. It was threatening what she was—alone and unwanted—a stranger. Emmeline licked her lips.

  As she watched, he stepped forward and cupped her face with his hands. He kissed her, a chaste kiss that was nothing more than warm lips pressed to hers. It was her first and it had been everything she'd dreamt of. Although, not with a man like him—a handsome lord. It was like a fairy-tale, too extraordinary to believe.

  Stepping back, he retreated from her. "But all I can offer you is this cursed place. I have nothing else."

  Whatever sentimentality has been spun in her mind with the kiss dissipated. "Cursed?"

  "We are all cursed, and not better than we deserve. We have all done evil here."

  Emmeline took a step back, confused thoughts running through her mind.

  "Emmeline," a slurred voice called playfully out in the hallway. "Where are you?" It was Percy. "I am coming to find you."

  Cresswell grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a set of doors, which led out to the balcony that ran along the front of the house. It had stopped raining.

  "You should not let yourself be in his company tonight," he said.

  "I won't if I can avoid it."

  Percy kept calling for her, wandering from one room to the next. Below them, people were leaving, taking to their carriages and finding their way to the road. It was time for the ball to end.

  "Your carriage has not returned," he said, looking down on the scene below them.

  Mrs. Thornton must not have sent it back, leaving her stranded here with Percy. "Why would she do that?" Emmeline said before thinking.

  "Perhaps it is still coming. Fear not, I will convey you home, and you will be safe in my company."

  "Emmeline," Percy called from inside the house, then laughed. A crashing sound made Emmeline cringe with embarrassment.

  "I feel I should apologize," she said, but he waved her attempt away.

  "I cannot disparage people for getting drunk when I have done so myself too often to remember."

  His fingers weaved in hers and for a moment, Emmeline forgot all her troubles. The fantasy took over, the longing to connect with someone. He offered it to her. What exactly he offered, she didn’t understand, but the temptation was so strong. Despite her initial thoughts, she felt safe here in his company, although she had no real reason not to other than the fact that he hadn't pressed an advantage when he'd had her alone—except the kiss. The feel of it still lingered on her lips.

  There was something so heady here, the suggestion that they might both end their lonely existence by being together. It was too much of a dream to ever be real, wasn't it?

  Gently, he tugged her hand toward him, pulling her near. Of course, she should say no, but the thought of another kiss shone bright enough to blind. He drew her close, but didn’t claim her, simply waited. There was a moment when she could withdraw and pull away, but she couldn’t make herself do it. She wanted another kiss, wanted that feeling of someone wanting her. The contact suffused sweetness through her body, sending spears of delicious warmth down her. Arms wrapped around her and her body pressed to his. In her head, a warning sounded, but she couldn't bring herself to heed it. This was dangerous. This was where ruination lay, but just this once, she wanted to believe, even if just for a moment.

  With a sigh, he broke the kiss and now, Emmeline felt the embarrassment that should have stopped this, but she'd just let it last and last. With breathy exhaliations, she tried to order her mind, but all she could do was blush and press her lips together to dissipate the sensation that lingered long after the kiss broke. This was her very first kiss and as a fairy-tale, could it be sweeter?

  Mentally shaking herself, she refused to let her dreams run away with her. She couldn’t allow herself these liberties. "What did you mean when you said this place is cursed?"

  "Only that you reap what you sow. I fought that for a long time, but I can no longer deny how things are. But let's not talk of such things. Tonight is for much sweeter things."

  In a sense, she wanted to talk about 'such things,’ to understand what was occurring around her. Still holding her hand, he was leading her away. "Come," he said, walking her to the edge of the balcony. "This is my favorite spot." Her thoughts of him as she'd come here this evening seemed ridiculous now. Still, none of it was real, was it? Had she not shifted from one fantasy to another?

  At the very edge of the house, she could see the ocean in the distance and the bright moon which sparkled off the water in a diffuse column. "It's beautiful." As fantasies went, could it be any better?

  "Yes, it is," he said gravely.

  "Then, why do you spend so little time here?"

  "Distraction." He shifted where he stood. "I think Percy may have succumbed to his stupor by now. Shall I take you home?"

  "You don't need to come."

  "I want to. I would rather keep you company than return to the drunken lot in my ballroom."

  They walked back toward the stairs. Emmeline watched him in the darkness. "Still haven't made up your mind about me?" he asked with a smile as he stopped at the top of the stairs. "You are not one to swept off your feet by the utterance of romantic notions."

  "As I said, I have little experience with such things, and yes, you are perhaps right. I do not readily trust sw
eet words." Apparently, that did not stop her from exploring kisses. Her cheeks warmed in the darkness.

  "Don't let this house deceive you. I have very little to offer."

  "Your crop doesn't grow well."

  "The crop is unimportant," he said dismissively. He was walking down the stairs and she followed. "The carriage isn't ready, so if you don't mind, we will ride. It will be much faster."

  "Uhm, alright," she agreed after a moment of pause.

  "Unless you would like to stay."

  "I couldn't," she replied, acknowledging the temptation to just throw caution to the wind and follow the curious sensations he rendered inside her. Staying would absolutely destroy her reputation. And to some extent, Percy was to blame, leaving her to seek protection for herself. As was Mrs. Thornton who hadn't sent the carriage back. It was almost as if they wished to ruin her good name by making her stay the night, yet again, with an unmarried man. Were they trying to get rid of her? Was the fate of being stranded here by a storm not enough to do it? "But I am very grateful for you seeing me home."

  The stable was dark. "I wish you would change your mind, but I understand you want to stay clear of any risk to your good name. Saying that, and as of yet, it is not my place to, but I do not like you being over there. I don't trust their intentions."

  "What intentions could they have with me? More likely, they will dismiss my service before long."

  Cresswell chuckled. "I doubt that."

  It was kind of him to say, but he didn't understand how unwanted she was a Rose Hill, except by Percy, who swung from being gentlemanly to anything but.

  "I will have to prove my intentions to you."

  In the darkness, Emmeline felt the blush creep up her cheeks again, glad he wasn't able to observe it. The idea of a man wanting her in a real and meaningful way was still so heady it hurt, even just the suggestion. But she wouldn't put stock on pretty words, even if the kisses were too wonderful to ignore.

  As she watched, he saddled the horse, apparently not needing light to do it. Moonlight through the window of the stable provided enough light for him. Once outside, he swiftly pulled himself up into the saddle and reached an arm down to pull her up on the horse's rump. She had to reach for him for support and sitting there, she wondered what it would be like to be safe and secure, married to a man who cared for her.

  It wasn't uncommon that the young women from the orphanage had been approached to marry men they didn't know, to be taken to the frontier lands. It was a fate she'd feared, living in isolated land without protection. Being a companion had been such a brilliant offer in comparison. It just hadn't worked out so well. She wasn't liked by her employer, but here was a man who professed he liked her. If only she could believe it. Wouldn't that be the best thing in the whole world?

  Opposed to what she expected, he didn't ride along the road, instead followed a path along the fields and then into the jungle itself. He knew the path well, it seemed, able to ride it in the darkness. Out of sight of the house, it was just them with dense jungle around them, but as opposed to last time, she wasn't alone. She was with a handsome man who insinuated that he adored her, wanted to be with her. Things that were too good to be true were often just that, she had learned. All offers this bright on the surface showed a real face that wasn't quite so spectacular. Coming to this island had shown her that.

  Chapter 24

  A broken axle was the reason the carriage had not returned, according to Mrs. Thornton. The woman's concern proved to be for Percy's comfort over any challenge to Emmeline's reputation, and it was a burdensome knowledge to have—that she was so below regard to her employer.

  Any elation she'd felt that night was slowly dissipating away over the next few days. Increasingly, she felt her presence being tiresome to Mrs. Thornton, and if Percy so much as looked at her, the woman would pierce her with steely glances.

  At times, she wished she could mention her heart had hopes in other directions, but she could imagine the ridicule she would receive. Mrs. Thornton would only see it as proof that Emmeline was seeking to improve her position—angling to become a lady no less. That wasn't how it was, but Mrs. Thornton would never understand that.

  In fact, Emmeline wasn't entirely sure about anything that had happened between her and Lord Cresswell. It had been so sweet, so perfect—but had it been real? Had any of it been real? Were they just sweet words on a lovely, balmy evening? A spot of romance for a lonely soul.

  Emmeline agonized over her doubts, seeking to protect her heart from what could be a cruel blow. Did she believe he was cruel? Hopefully not, but she could well believe him careless. For her, though, the stakes were much too high to dally with something like this.

  With a sigh, Emmeline sat down on the top step to the veranda, looking out over the scenery. He wasn't far away, just past the dense jungle at the far side of the field. There was a path through the jungle, though, but it had been too well hidden for her to tell exactly where it was. It was down there, though, at the edge of the left field. No figure appeared there. Resting her head in her hands, she sighed again.

  "That sounds forlorn," Percy said, surprising her with his appearance in the doorway behind her. "Is there somewhere else you wish to be, Miss Durrant?"

  "No, of course not," she said, twisting around where she sat. "Perhaps just wishing I didn't feel so housebound."

  "Bound to my mother, you mean. You are young; you should be out there in the world, not paying court to an old, cranky woman." He brought out his pouch of tobacco and rolled a cigarette.

  "I just wish we got on better," she admitted. "She doesn't seem to like me very much."

  "My mother believes in hierarchies and everyone knowing their place in it. Anyone who doesn't abide by it, make her nervous."

  "I have done nothing to challenge that."

  "No, perhaps not. Maybe it is your youth and beauty. Those are qualities no hierarchy can overcome."

  "I am responsible for neither. Actually, I probably shouldn't tell you this, but it's gotten much worse since your arrival. For some reason, she believes I have designs on you."

  Percy didn't say anything. She really had to watch herself so that she didn't get herself into trouble here. Then both Mrs. Thornton and her son would be giving her stern and condemning looks. Instead, Percy lit his cigarette and the scent of it suffused the air. "She thinks it’s time I get married, and woe be me if I break with her beliefs in hierarchy."

  "The way Lord Cresswell did?"

  "Yes," he said, brightening as if it just occurred to him. "His marriage was an appalling mess. No one can deny it. Married some strumpet he took a liking to. A cautionary tale, one could say."

  Looking away, Emmeline hid her blush. It seemed, that Lord Cresswell had again gotten his feelings entangled with someone inappropriate—her.

  "There's no accounting for taste," Percy continued dismissively. "One would hope he’s learned his lesson for the future."

  "It must be hard to find a wife in a place where there are so few to choose from," she said, wishing to change the topic.

  "Many seek greener pastures. There are, of course, plenty of fine women back in England seeking husbands. Sometimes, though, the English roses wilt in this climate. I wouldn't want one of those, but mother insists our position be improved by my marriage. An heiress from a fine, titled family, ideally with a sizeable fortune. I think she is disappointed I didn't come back with one. They're not always that easy to access, though," he said. "They look down on us, actually. Our land is not comparable to their land, it seems, so being invited into the company of wealthy heiresses of fine families isn't always that easy to achieve."

  "I'm sorry," she said. It seemed Percy wasn't in too dissimilar a position to her in spite of all he had. Everyone had someone looking down on them.

  "I could, of course, marry Alicia Torpington. I would effectively double the size of my land. Not something to scoff at. She's not exactly a handsome woman, though." Percy frowned. "Where has Joseph got
ten off to? I want him to saddle my horse."

  "I haven't seen him."

  "No doubt slacking off in the shade somewhere." Percy rose and walked down the stairs, turning toward the stables.

  Emmeline wondered if he was incapable of saddling his own horse. A few minutes later, he came into view, riding his horse across the lawn and then toward the road that ran through the fields, probably off to seek diversion from his problems in Plymouth.

  As much as she liked Percy when he was at full capacity, she hated him when drink influenced him. Emmeline watched him go for a while, having nothing else pressing to do. Yet again she wondered why Mrs. Thornton kept her on.

  Eventually, she retreated to the seat in the corner of the veranda where she kept her book. As she approached, she saw a flower lying on the book, an orchid. Its fine leaves were pink and white, the green stem bright in color.

  Her heart hammered as she picked up the delicate flower. Only one person would have left an orchid like this for her. Cresswell had been here sometime that morning. Inside the cover of the book, she found a note, written on thick, smooth paper.

  My dearest Miss Durrant,

  I find I am still thinking of you. This grip you have on me won't cease, but I shall mourn it if it ever does. I am no poet, so I won't attempt anything of the sort, but I felt I needed to reach out to you, touch you with word and sentiment if nothing else.

  The dragon would stand in my way if she knew, forcing me to become a knight in some ancient tale. You have made me sentimental, but no matter what I do, I cannot escape this sentimentally that drugs my mind and tends my wounds.

  Know my words are true, for what they are.

  Ever hopeful,

  D. C

  Emmeline's heart ached. This was the sweetest thing that had ever happened to her. It confirmed that she hadn't been utterly misguided that night they had kissed, twisting words to suit what her heart wanted to hear. He was thinking of her. It hurt to know someone was, that someone cared.